NEW YORK (AP) — Alexandra Eala became the first woman representing the Philippines to win a Grand Slam match, doing so at the U.S. Open by defeating No. 14 seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11) on Sunday after coming back from a 5-1 deficit in the third set and getting some help from a key video review decision.
Eala is a 20-year-old who is ranked 75th and trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy. This was her fourth win against a top-20 opponent in 2025, including against Iga Swiatek in March en route to the Miami Open semifinals.
The pivotal moment came in the last set at the Grandstand, with Tauson clinging to a 5-4 lead and serving for the match for the second time. Eala hit a shot right up near the net and it wasn’t immediately clear during play whether or not her racket had crossed over the tape to make contact with the ball, which isn’t allowed.
Chair umpire Kader Nouni employed video review, a system that was introduced at the U.S. Open in 2023 on a small number of courts to allow officials to check calls such as double bounces and was expanded to all 17 competition arenas this year.
Nouni ruled that Eala hit the ball fairly and awarded her the point, giving her two break chances at 15-40 there. There was a lengthy delay before action resumed, though, with Tauson complaining and telling Nouni: “Look at the ball. What is your opinion about this? What is your opinion?” Some in the stands booed her.
Even after his decision was made clear to all, Tauson took some extra time before hitting her next serve, standing with both hands on her hips at the baseline. Eventually, Tauson double-faulted, making it 5-all and drawing a rowdy reaction from a crowd that was loudly supporting Eala.
That gave Eala 16 of the last 21 points and soon she was one away from victory. Took a bit longer, though: In the end, she needed five match points to close out the win after more than 2 1/2 hours.
When Tauson sent one last forehand long, Eala dropped to her back on the court, chest heaving, and covered her face with both hands.
After Eala arose, and met Tauson at the net for a handshake, the winner skipped around the court while the spectators roared their approval.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
